]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/07/16/nascar-xfinity-series-mid-season-stats/feed/0annoyedracefanxfinitylogoLewis Hamilton WINS his first race of the 2016 season with a sensational drivehttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/lewis-hamilton-wins-his-first-race-of-the-2016-season-with-a-sensational-drive/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/lewis-hamilton-wins-his-first-race-of-the-2016-season-with-a-sensational-drive/#respondSun, 29 May 2016 14:10:09 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=10316The Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco started behind the safety car in wet conditions, but was run mainly in glorious sunshine with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton narrowly defeating Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo after an epic battle around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Strategy – and a bungled pit stop from Red Bull – proved decisive. As the early rain eased, polesitter Ricciardo pitted first for intermediate tyres, while Hamilton chose to stay out until conditions improved enough for slick rubber.

Ricciardo had enough time in hand to make a further stop and regain his lead, but when he arrived at his garage, a miscommunication meant Red Bull had no tyres ready for him and the Australian was stationary for a very costly 13.6s. He rejoined just behind the world champion, a position on which he was never able to improve.

Sergio Perez took his sixth career podium with third place, after an inspired decision from Force India to switch him early to the hardest of the dry tyres. That allowed the Mexican to finish just ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Fernando Alonso secured McLaren’s best result of 2016 to date with a distant fifth place, while a very cautious Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg lost sixth place on the final straight to Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, with his championship lead over Hamilton reduced by 19 points as a result.

With rain heavy ahead of lights-out, racing finally began on lap eight, with Ricciardo making an excellent start to pull clear of the two Mercedes. Behind him, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer was the first victim of the tricky conditions, losing his Renault over the white lines on the start-finish straight, spearing into the wall and coming to a halt in the Ste Devote run-off.

Next to go was Kimi Raikkonen, who slid straight into the barriers coming into the hairpin on lap 11, immediately after the virtual safety car prompted by Palmer’s shunt had been with withdrawn. The Finn broke off his front wing and dragged it under his Ferrari all the way to the chicane before pulling off. In the process he almost forced Haas’s Romain Grosjean into the wall – the stewards will investigate post-race.

Daniil Kvyat’s race started with power issues on his Toro Rosso that put him a lap down before the safety car pulled in, but ended in the wall at Rascasse on Lap 21 after a bungled passing attempt on Renault’s Kevin Magnussen, with whom he had already tangled through the swimming pool section. Again, stewards are investigating. Magnussen retired a few laps later after taking his front wing off against the barriers at Mirabeau.

Max Verstappen went from Spain hero to Monaco zero with his third crash of the weekend, putting his Red Bull into the wall at Massenet on lap 35.

Felipe Nasr retired with smoke inside his Sauber on lap 52, shortly after he and team mate Marcus Ericsson had needlessly collided at Rascasse, the Swede making a late dive for the inside shortly after the Brazilian had been ordered to let him by. Ericsson also ended his race in the pits a few laps later. Stewards are investigating the intra-team incident.

]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/29/lewis-hamilton-wins-his-first-race-of-the-2016-season-with-a-sensational-drive/feed/0annoyedracefanCjoURj7WEAE30L3Lewis Hamilton on pole position for tomorrow’s Spanish GP, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardohttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/lewis-hamilton-on-pole-position-for-tomorrows-spanish-gp-ahead-of-nico-rosberg-and-daniel-ricciardo/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/lewis-hamilton-on-pole-position-for-tomorrows-spanish-gp-ahead-of-nico-rosberg-and-daniel-ricciardo/#respondSat, 14 May 2016 13:10:57 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=10278Hamilton will start Sunday’s Barcelona race from pole position after beating Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg by three-tenths of a second in qualifying. Meanwhile, Ferrari were outgunned by Red Bull as Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen took the row-two grid places.

Kimi Raikkonen was fifth in the leading scarlet car, immediately ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel. Then came Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz and Force India’s Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso completed the top ten as McLaren made Q3 for the first time since 2014.

Felipe Massa was the big scalp in Q1, as an apparent timing error from Williams left the Brazilian 18th. Eliminated with him in the opening phase were Renault’s Jolyon Palmer, the Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, and the Manors of Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.

]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/lewis-hamilton-on-pole-position-for-tomorrows-spanish-gp-ahead-of-nico-rosberg-and-daniel-ricciardo/feed/0annoyedracefanCiassH6WkAUJEckRosberg puts Mercedes top in Spanish FP2 as Ferrari stay within reachhttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/rosberg-puts-mercedes-top-in-spanish-fp2-as-ferrari-stay-within-reach/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/rosberg-puts-mercedes-top-in-spanish-fp2-as-ferrari-stay-within-reach/#respondFri, 13 May 2016 13:40:54 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=10257Mercedes and Ferrari battled it out for top honours in Friday afternoon’s second practice in Spain, with Nico Rosberg ultimately out-pacing Kimi Raikkonen by a quarter of second. Respective team mates Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were third and fourth fastest.

Fernando Alonso made it two Spaniards in the top ten with a highly encouraging seventh place for McLaren, as the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.

Jolyon Palmer lost significant track time after the left-rear tyre on his Renault deflated ten minutes into the session. Running was red-flagged for eight minutes as marshals cleared debris, but the Briton was later able to resume his programme.

]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/rosberg-puts-mercedes-top-in-spanish-fp2-as-ferrari-stay-within-reach/feed/0annoyedracefanCiVoB9cXEAAPEM8Sebastian Vettel leads Ferrari 1-2 in Spanish GP first practicehttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/sebastian-vettel-leads-ferrari-1-2-in-spanish-gp-first-practice/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/sebastian-vettel-leads-ferrari-1-2-in-spanish-gp-first-practice/#respondFri, 13 May 2016 09:40:38 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=10230Sebastian Vettel led team mate Kimi Raikkonen as Ferrari made full use of their soft tyres to top the timesheet in first practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday morning.

Mercedes, who unlike the Prancing Horse only used Pirelli’s medium compound rubber, were half a second back, with championship leader Nico Rosberg edging Lewis Hamilton in the fight for third.

Max Verstappen, making his debut for Red Bull, was a solid sixth behind new team mate Daniel Ricciardo, while Toro Rosso returnee Daniil Kvyat ended up in 12th, four spots and half a second down on the other STR11 of Carlos Sainz.

Esteban Ocon, participating in FP1 in place of Jolyon Palmer, had a disappointing session for Renault, completing just six untimed laps before being halted by a technical issue.

Sergio Perez also experienced mechanical woes, though Force India were able to repair his car and return the Mexican to the track before the end of the session.

While the top quartet were in a league of their own – and the Red Bulls completed a mini-group with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas – it was very close behind, with less than one second covering Sainz in eighth down to Perez in 14th.

That grouping included the second Williams of Felipe Massa, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, Renault’s Kevin Magnussen, Kvyat and Perez’s team mate Nico Hulkenberg.

While Alonso therefore earned McLaren’s heavily-revised MP4-31 a place in the top 10, team mate Jenson Button was far less happy. He finished 19th – 1.4s down on Alonso – and complained of handling issues during the 90-minute session.

Haas’s Romain Grosjean was also unhappy, labelling his car a ‘disaster’ in low-speed corners. The Frenchman – who along with team mate Esteban Gutierrez did not set a time in the opening half of the session – wound up 16th, with Gutierrez one spot further back.

The session was also notable for a couple of off-track moments in Turn 1 for Hamilton, whose Mercedes is using a new MGU-H after his recent problems, one for Raikkonen, and a spin by Massa in Turn 5.

]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/nascar-sprint-cup-series-infraction-sheet-for-go-bowling-400/feed/0annoyedracefanSprintKyle Busch becomes first 3-time winner of 2016 with late rally at Kansashttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/kyle-busch-becomes-first-3-time-winner-of-2016-with-late-rally-at-kansas/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/kyle-busch-becomes-first-3-time-winner-of-2016-with-late-rally-at-kansas/#respondSun, 08 May 2016 02:50:24 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=10199After 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) races at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Busch finally scratched off a victory at a track that has eluded him, as he wins Saturday night’s 2016 NSCS Go Bowling 400.

This was Busch’s third series win and ninth top-10 finish of the season, his 37th series career win in 401 races and his first series win in 19 races at Kansas.

Finishing second, by a 1.112 second margin, was the current series points leader, Kevin Harvick, and he was followed by Kurt Busch finishing third, Matt Kenseth fourth, and series Rookie of the Year (ROTY) candidate, Ryan Blaney finished fifth.

]]>https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/kyle-busch-becomes-first-3-time-winner-of-2016-with-late-rally-at-kansas/feed/0annoyedracefanCh5saRqWMAAz2UBWilliam Byron wins first Truck series race thanks to last-lap crashhttps://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/william-byron-wins-first-truck-series-race-thanks-to-last-lap-crash/
https://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/william-byron-wins-first-truck-series-race-thanks-to-last-lap-crash/#respondSat, 07 May 2016 03:20:26 +0000http://annoyedracefan.wordpress.com/?p=101702016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contender, William Bryon, captured his first career NCWTS victory Friday night as he wins the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway.

This was Byron’s first series victory and second top-10 finish of the season, his first series career victory in five races and his first series victory in one race at Kansas.